COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo (KOAA) — History belongs to the Pueblo County Hornets.
In a battle between two programs chasing their first state title, Pueblo County powered past Falcon High School 9–4 on Saturday to capture the 4A crown.
It was the third meeting between the two teams this season, with each side winning once before. Falcon won the regular season matchup, but the Hornets took the postseason meeting in the semifinals.
Pueblo County senior pitcher Blake Swift pitched 6.1 innings, striking out six batters in his time on the mound. He was relieved by Sol Montoya, who closed out the game with two strikeouts.
“I mean, it’s everything. Ever since sophomore year, I knew we needed to win it. These coaches are the best coaches I’ve ever had in any sport. They’re just everything,” Swift said following the win.
“I’ve got 20 guys in there not never quit believing in each other. They had this as the goal the whole way. Didn’t matter what kind of adversity they saw, and they knew at the end of the day they were going to be champions.”
Falcon struck first in the bottom of the opening frame. Aaron Jaquez reached scoring position after a leadoff double. Following up was Ethan Gentz, who ripped a shot to left-center that slipped out of the Hornets’ outfielder’s glove, allowing Aaron Jaquez to score from third.
Pueblo County answered quickly in the top of the second. Senior Jacob Gonzalez brought home the tying run with a ground ball down the third-base line into the outfield. Moments later, Elijah Tafoya delivered a deep drive over the right fielder’s head, scoring another run and racing to third — part of a three-run surge that put the Hornets ahead for good.
In the fourth, Nick Hernandez lined a ball past the third baseman to extend the lead. The Hornets sealed the victory with a decisive sixth inning, plating five runs to put the game out of reach.
When the final out was recorded, Pueblo County celebrated a milestone — their first state championship in school history.
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